Shoe and insole therefor



Dec. i5, 1936.

C. REGGIE SHOE4 AND INSOLE THEREFOR Filed Sept. 15, 1954 L if@ j@ ef Patented Dec. 15, 1936 UNirso srs SHOE AND INSOLlE THEREFOR Application September 15, 1934, Serial No. '744,102

3 Claims.

4 AThis invention relates to shoes for men,

.Women or children and pertains more particu- "larly, to .improvements in insoles for shoes of thek Goodyear welt, McKay or cement process types,v in which the insole is securely attached to the inturned upper margin and to an outsole by stitching, cement or a combination of the two methods.

It has long been recognized that such shoes are relatively stiff and unyielding and hence uncomfortable to the wearer, especially because of the resistance to bending at the ball and toe portions of the sole. This inflexibility is largely due to the incapacity of the insole to become shortened or compressed, without undue wrinkling or cracking, when the thicker and stronger outsole is curved and elongated on its outer surface as the shoe is bent in walking. Various expedients have been attempted in an effort `to produce a more flexible and satisfactory shoe of these types and to approach the desirable characteristics of the vturned shoe, but these attempts have usually introduced other objectionable. features which affect the durability of 25. theshoe or the foot comfort of the wearer.

It is accordingly the principal purpose of the present invention to provide a welt, McKay or cement process shoe which possesses the walking ease and comfort of an yunusually flexible sole while preserving the strength, body, durability and shape-retaining characteristics of the twosoled shoe; and also to produce an insole of the usual size and thickness, which will not stretch out of shape while lasting or during normal wear, will yield readily without wrinkling, and

f will retain the smooth and comfortable interior surfaceand form-fitting attributes of the ordinary insole.

A further object is to provide a shoe having an insole formed with relatively narrow slits or small openings which permit and induce air circulation between the soles and through the insole, thereby to ventilate the interior of the shoe and avoid the burning sensation which is inwardly experienced by the wearers of new shoes.

These objects are attained by providing a plurality of partially cut-out tabs or tongues arranged at any desired portion of the insole where flexibility is desired, usually at the ball and toe portions thereof and preferably in staggered or offset relationship with respect to each other in order to avoid exact transverse lines of weakness across the insole. The speciiic nature and action of these tabs will be apparent from the following description of a recommended embodiment of this invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing; and the several features of the improved construction will be lpointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, 5 Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in broken section, of a ladys shoe fashioned in accordance with the invention, and flexed at the ball portion to indicate the advantages of the improved insole;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed section of the 10 sectional portion of Fig. 1, illustrating the disposition of one of the tabs when the sole is flexed;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the improved insole; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are longitudinal and transverse 15 sections, respectively, taken onv lines ll-i and 5 5 of Fig. 3, the top side of the insole being uppermost.

In the particular embodiment chosen for the purpose of illustration, the invention is embodied 20 in a ladys shoe or slipper having a leather outsole 'l and insole 8, and an upper 9 whose bottom margins are secured between the respective soles by stitching and/or cement in accordance with any of the usual and well known lasting 25 and sole-laying operations. The outsole may be of ordinary construction, but the insole 8 is provided with a number of substantially U- shaped cuts or slits lil, extending entirely through the leather and defining a plurality of 30 relatively short and narrow tabs or tongues Il,

- extending toward the front or toe portion thereof and movable downwardly relative to the body of the insole (when the latter is removed from the shoe), as best shown in Figs. 3 to 5.

The narrow cuts or incisions Illa at the fronts of the tabs are preferably made (by hand or by a suitable die) at a downward and forward angle relative to the top of the insole, so that the tabs may yield downwardly but not upwardly, as in- 40 dicated in Fig. 4, in which the broken lines show certain tabs pressed downwardly for the` purpose of illustration. The side cuts lill), however, may be substantially at right angles to the surfaces of the insole, as illustrated in Fig. 5.

It will be observed that the tabs in Fig. 3 are staggered in offset relation to each other, especially in a transverse direction, thereby avoiding any distinct line of weakness across the irisole; and this arrangement is` preferred as an additional feature of the invention. It will also be noted that the incisions have been confined to the region at the ball and toe portions of theinsole in said ligure, but it will be apparent that similar tabs may be provided at the shank and heel portions if it is desirable and feasible to provide a sole which is flexible throughout its length.

A shoe equipped with an insole as above described is extremely flexible at the incised region for the U-shaped slits reduce the resistance to bending of the composite sole and the peculiar nature of the diagonal cuts lila allows the individual tabs to slide or creep relative to the insole as a whole when the sole is flexed as in walking. This action is indicated to an exaggerated degree in Fig. 2, which shows that the front of the tab Il is retracted at its pointed bottom edge to leave `a slight gap I2, and is compressed on its upper side at the point i3. Hence, the insole as a whole may expand along its bottom or outer surface and contract on its inner surface, to compensate for the curvature or bend of the outsole; and the two part sole is practically as ilexible as the outsole would be if used alone, asin a turned shoe.

The flexibility of the insole is attained without sacrifice of sole thickness, strength or durability, and the smoothness of the interior or upper surface of the improved insole is retained, for the tabs cannot project upwardly and the thin cuts are not noticeable and are uncomfortable to the wearers foot, especially when the usual sock lining is employed. There is no wrinkling, buckling or cracking of the insole, and the form and shape of the sole are effectively preserved during the shoe making process as well as in use; furthermore, the provision of the tabs Il allows the shoe to conform to the contour of the foot from ball to toe, during walking, and thus enhances the foot comfort of the wearer.

It will be understood that the term U-'shaped is used in this specification and in the following claims to indicate the general character of the cuts or tabs herein shown and described, and does not necessarily imply any precise conguration thereof, for the rounded ends and straight sides may be angular or curved without impairing the functional utility of the construction. It is intended, however, that the width of the tabs be substantially less than the width of the insole, and that the incisions be line cuts without appreciable removal of insole material; otherwise the insole would tend to stretch out of shape during lastingor wear, and objectionable gaps or ridges would be formed on the inner surface thereof, while the sole is either flat or curved as in walking.

Although the slits IB are desirably narrow or thin so that there is no appreciable gap or opening when the insole is flat (the fronts of the tabs being then in engagement with the adjacent body portion of the insole), the flexing of the sole as a whole creates minute apertures at 0r along such slits, so that the shoe is ventilated by circulation of air through the seams of the upper, between the insole and outsole, and thence through said apertures or slits. This ventilation, although slight, is noticeable to the wearer in the relief which it affords to the uncomfortable burning sensation commonly experienced when new shoes are first worn; and is a further feature of the improved construction.

The nature and advantages of this invention are believed to be apparent from the foregoing explanation, and it will also be evident that the desired flexibility of the sole and foot comfort of the wearer is achieved simply and economically without any appreciable change in the ordinary methods or apparatus commonly employed in assembling and completing a welt, McKay or cement process shoe.

I claim:

1. A shoe of the class described, comprising an insole and an outsole superposed thereon and attached thereto, the insole having a plurality of narrow substantially U-shaped slits spaced longitudinally and transversely of each other in staggered relation and extending through the insole, and a plurality of movable tabs bordered by the respective slits and projecting toward the front of the insole, the free forward ends of the tabs normally engaging the adjacent portions of the insole body when the sole is flat but being displaced relative to said body When the shoe is iiexed, thereby to provide apertures for the circulation of air through said slits when the shoe is in use.

2. A shoe of the class described, comprising an insole and outsole superposed thereon and attached thereto, a plurality of relatively short and narrow tabs cut from the insole, the cuts extending along the fronts and sides of the tabs, the free front ends of the tabs having a beveled edge sloping forwardly and downwardly relative to the insole and the sides of the tabs being substantially at right angles to the insole, so that the tabs may creep longitudinally relative to the body of the insole when the sole is flexed, and the tabs being arranged in staggered relation relative to each other across the ball portion of the insole, the thickness of the tabs being substantially equal to the thickness of the insole.

3. An insole having a plurality of substantially U-shaped incisions extending therethrough and defining movable tabs having free forward ends adapted to yield relative to the adjacent portions of the insole when the latter is flexed, the incisions at the fronts of the tabs extending diagonally through the insole in a downward and forward direction, the thickness of the tabs being substantially equal to the thickness of the insole, and said tabs being spaced longitudinally and transversely of each other in staggered relation.

CHRISTY REGGIE. 

